We Could Go Camping?
by girlwithapocketwatch
Summary: Modern AU. Eponine mentions the need for a holiday, which naturally results in the group of friends spending a weekend camping. Enjolras gets to know Eponine, and she in turn gets to know him, all thanks to the awkward sleeping arrangements. Oh, and there's a whole lot of insect repellent on Joly's part.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! Well, this is my first fanfic, and my first dab at 'proper' writing too, come to think of it. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Eponine pulled her phone out of her back pocket to check the time, shifting her canvas bag heavy with books from one shoulder to the other as she did so, and adjusting her backpack accordingly. 2:17pm. She had exactly 13 minutes in the library to herself before she was due to meet Courfeyrac for a study session. _As if we're gonna get any work done_, she scoffed to herself. As she stepped through the doors to the library, the musky smell of paper and ink drifted to her nostrils, and she was reminded once again just how much she liked it here. The stillness, the tranquility, she considered it a blessing, and a treasured escape.

Making her way to the self service points, she inhaled slowly, shrugging the bag from her shoulder and letting the handles slide down her arm until they sat comfortably in her hand. As she placed it atop the table and started taking the books from her bag one by one to return, she subconsciously rolled her aching shoulders.

She couldn't quite understand why people had kicked up such a stink when the library first announced their plans to install these self service points; the queues are shorter, it's quicker, and there's no human interaction. A win win situation in Eponine's eyes.

She scanned book number seven out of seven, placed it on the assigned shelf, and let out a sigh. Grabbing the now empty canvas bag and folding it as small as it would go, she didn't bother putting it away in her backpack as she knew she'd have purpose for it again soon enough. She stood there for a moment, deciding where to go. Considering the endless possibilities that a library provides. Just as she took a step towards the local history section, she felt her phone vibrate. Expecting to see a message from Courfeyrac saying he's going to be late followed by one of his obscure excuses, she was surprised to see the message was from Enjolras. She opened up the message but before she could read it, she was slightly startled by a soft 'Ahem' and looked up to see a middle aged man with grey hair cut short, a friendly face and a hardback book in arm, glancing expectantly between her and the free self service point she was still stood in front of. Muttering her quick apologies, she took a step to the side and again started to make her way towards local history, briefly forgetting the unread message before her phone notifies her of yet another one, also from Enjolras. She raises her eyebrow in intrigue and opens the most recent one.

_Care to share the self service points with the rest of the library?_

Eponine's head automatically snapped up in suspicion and her eyes started to scan the library top to bottom, until she noticed a figure in a blue polo neck t-shirt, with a head of blonde curls in need of a haircut, bent over a book, his face holding an expression of such intensity that you wonder whether he was simply reading something engaging, or in deep thought about a pressing matter. Eponine quickly typed out her reply with a smirk.

_Since when did you start spying on innocent women?_

She continued towards her destination and had just picked up a book when she received a reply.

_I was merely making an observation._

_Of course you were. And what are you doing in the library on a fine day such as this?_

Fine being a day when the sky is grey, the wind is nipping at your unprotected external features because you had neglected to acknowledge the fact that the weather can turn in a matter of days, and the clouds heavy with rain, sitting there, just waiting for the perfect moment to unnecessarily drench you when you least expect it.

_Now it is time for you to make the observation._

She raised her eyebrow at this, and returned the book to its previous place, an amused half smile playing on her lips.

_Here we have the idol creature that goes by the name Enjolras, engrossed in its favourite activity. A rare sight indeed, for despite its placid nature, it is not often seen in its natural habitat, exposed thus, and surrounded by others of its kind._

Eponine tapped send, and glanced over at the creature to see his reaction. Enjolras straightened his posture when he saw his phone light up. Eponine found herself almost satisfied when she saw the corners of his mouth twitch, but he then place his phone back on the table, took up his position once again, and that was that. Leaning against the end of a bookcase, she watched him a moment longer. She watched as he moved to turn the page, handling it with the sort of delicacy you would gold leaf, or a journal belonging to your great grandmother.

_He's probably not aware he even does it- _Eponine was interrupted from her thoughts by a very loud and rather Courfeyrac sounding "Hey!" She let out a sigh and turned to see Courfeyrac physically ducking as he remembered where he was, with multiple 'Ssh's' coming from various places in the library.

"Sorry!" He stage whispered, though to whom he wasn't quite sure. He looked back at Eponine, who now had her arms crossed and was staring straight at him. Shrugging it off, he made his way over to her.

"You're early."

"I know I know, it ruins my reputation, but hey, I fancied a change."

Eponine's face softened as she returned Courfeyrac's smile.

"Tables or beanbags?" she offered, as they started walking aimlessly around the centre of the library. He turned on the spot and started walking backwards, "Why must you ask that every time?"

"Beanbags it is." Eponine said with a nod as she grabbed Courfeyrac by the shoulders and turned him back round. They both shrugged off their bags and slumped into the soft pillows of polystyrene goodness, practically synchronised in their movements.

"So, what's going down in Courfland?"

He winced at this, "Don't say that again."

Eponine threw up her hands and reached for her backpack, only to find that it was just out of her reach, and she had sunken so far into the beanbag that it would have been a waste of good energy to push herself out of it, so she instead stayed put.

"Well I guess studying's out of the question," she rested her head in her hands as she settled into the beanbag and looked at Courfeyrac with anticipation. He mirrored her position and brushed one of his dark curls from out of his playful green eyes.

"It's booked. We leave tomorrow!"

* * *

It had initially been Eponine's idea, though Courfeyrac would no doubt claim it as his own. She had mentioned the need of a holiday, a break from work and stress that the standard weekend simply couldn't provide. She had neglected to think that the casual mentioning of such a thought with her friends in the room would result in Courfeyrac insisting " We make it a thing and do the thing."

"Holidays cost money," Combeferre had regretfully pointed out, peeking from behind his book on the natural history of some place or another.

"We could go camping? I mean, we'd still have to pay for the pitch, but it wouldn't cost too much," Suggested Cosette from her perch on Marius' lap at the end of the, sorry, their table, for they had claimed the table in the corner of the coffee shop at which Eponine worked as their own. You see, a couple of weeks ago there hadn't been enough seats, and when Eponine offered to fetch another chair, Cosette had insisted that she was quite comfortable, and it had been that way ever since. Murmurs of approval spread throughout the group of friends and Combeferre, getting out of his chair and placing his book pages faced down on the table in front of him, decided to bring about some order.

"All those in favour of taking a weekend's camping holiday say I." He was met with a response from what sounded like everybody, but just to be sure he continued.

"All those against, speak now or forever hold your peace." Feuilly and Bossuet were busy that weekend, but promised to join them for any future trips. Enjolras, who had been sitting at the adjoining coffee table with a paper he was working on, had somewhat surprised the others when he agreed to it. His reason being a short break would allow him to return with a fresh mind, which was partially true, but then he did enjoy spending time with his friends. And his family had a six man tent, which would no doubt be needed. When the subject of supplies made its way into the conversation, Bahorel suggested everyone just brings everything they have, they get food on the way, and then sort everything out when they get there. This seemed like the most obvious option, so now all that was left was to find a location and book, and Courfeyrac said he would take care of that. And he had.

* * *

Eponine smiled at Courfeyrac and punched him in the arm.

"What was that for?" He whined, rubbing the spot that was sure to bruise.

"A well done,' said Eponine, as if it were obvious. She sank back into her beanbag and stared at the floor, thinking.

"What?" Courfeyrac leaned in towards her, a look of concern now replacing his previous carefree expression.

Eponine had been camping once before, when she was 6. Her parents had for some reason thought they'd give a holiday a go, having never attempted such a thing before, and for the same reason that Cosette had given when she put forward her suggestion, her parents had decided that camping was the cheapest option. They had ended up sleeping in the car because the Thenardiers are useless at many things, and this includes putting up tents. And don't even get me started on the fire.

"Nothing." She looked up at Courfeyrac and gave him a small, reassuring smile, which he returned. It was then that her phone went off, alerting her to the fifth message she had received since entering the library that day. It was from Grantaire.

_Food._

Since Eponine had started sharing a flat with Grantaire last month, they had developed this one word communication system. 'Food' translated into 'We are out of food, please go shopping asap'.

Eponine sighed and dropped the phone from her hand into her lap, as she flicked her choppy fringe to the side with one swift swish (try saying that 5 times in a row) of her head.

"Okay, now what?" Courfeyrac tried again.

"Just Grantaire letting me know we're out of food back at home," Home. That word had never felt quite right coming from Eponine's lips, and she couldn't remember the last time there was a place worthy enough of such a title. Still, she had a feeling she was in for one heck of a weekend.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks ****for all the follows and favourites, and also the reviews. Do keep them coming, I really appreciate it! I hope your barricade day was fab, I myself was busy celebrating my birthday. Anyway, here's chapter 2!**

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Eponine placed the shopping bags on the floor, propping her knee against them to ensure they didn't topple over. She shrugged off her backpack, positioning herself so that the canvas bag on her shoulder, now heavy with a whole different collection of books, stayed put. Taking her backpack in both hands, she shook it up and down, and listened out for that distinctive jingle that only your keys can make. Satisfied with her conclusion that they had made their way down to the bottom of her bag, she stuck her arm in and started to rummage.

Soon enough, she was turning the key in the lock of her blue apartment's door, and upon opening it, she was hit with the delightful smell of honeysuckle. Her eyes searched the apartment suspiciously, had she somehow miraculously opened the wrong door?

If anyone ever needed a definition of squeaky-clean, her apartment was it. The pairs of shoes that would have normally greeted her when she entered, were neatly stacked in the shoe-wrack that was usually piled high with junk mail that they never got round to clearing out, but that had now disappeared also. Realisation suddenly hit her, and with a sly, understanding half smile, she made her way through the hallway and into the kitchen, sliding one of the bags of shopping along with her foot, while the other two were in her arms.

"Food!" She yelled into the currently silent, yet sweet smelling space of the corridor that led to the 2 bedrooms and the bathroom, and put the shopping atop the shiny worktop in the freakishly clean kitchen.

"Are they gone?" Came the unmistakable, rough voice from behind a door.

"Jehan and Joly, I'm guessing?" She replied. She heard the padding of footsteps, and then saw Grantaire's head, with it's trademark bed hair, peeking around the doorframe.

"Yes." He made his way into the kitchen, sat down on the his usual chair in the corner, and kicked his shoes off, causing them to fly into the wall opposite himself and land in a heap on the floor. "Better," he sighed. It was then that his cloudy blue eyes landed on the bags of supplies Eponine had purchased, and he bounced up and out of his seat with a surprising amount of enthusiasm.

"Hello sexy," he picked out a bottle of cider and went off in search for the nearest bottle opener.

Eponine laughed at her friend for a minute or so as she watched him frantically searching through the drawers in their now not so freakishly clean kitchen, before grabbing the bottle from his hands - holding it out of reach when he made a grab for it – and tutting to herself, as she picked up her keys and skilfully pried the lid away from the bottle. She flipped the lid in her hand, smirked at Grantaire, and handed him back his drink. He took a sip and mumbled his thanks before walking into the second half of the room that was known by most as 'the parlour', I mean, they couldn't exactly call it 'the other half of the kitchen that is not in fact a kitchen', and then of course 'sitting room' was far too boring.

"So what happened with that holiday Courf was supposed to be sorting out?" He asked, literally plonking himself onto the sofa, careful not to spill any of that precious liquid he still held in his hand.

"He booked it and we leave tomorrow," Eponine replied. She was met with a short, coarse laugh, "Courfeyrac has booked for us a camping weekend." Grantaire shook his head with amused disbelief as he lifted the bottle to his lips.

"You'd better get packing," Eponine said, reaching over and patting the top of his head, "Apparently we're leaving first thing in the morning." This was met with a groan, to which she replied with an empathetic groan of her own. She'd never been a morning person, and neither had Grantaire, which led to their apartment's morning activity being virtually nothing.

"How are we getting there exactly?" inquired Grantaire, after having recovered from the idea of having to actually get up the next morning, that is.

"I don't know, Courf said he had it covered, and that someone will pick us up first thing." Eponine replied with a shrug, leaning on the back of the sofa that Grantaire had strewn himself across.

Grantaire let air pass through his pursed lips as he stared at a spec of dirt on the wall directly in front of him, in thought. Eponine eyed him with caution and intrigue as she walked around the sofa and took a seat next to him, putting her feet atop the old trunk that acted as a coffee table and crossing her ankles. That trunk had belonged to Grantaire. He has memories of sitting in it when he was a child, and one day he would be flying over the atlantic ocean, the next he would be zooming around a racing track, speeding past all the other cars. The trunk had later become a hiding place, a place where he could go when he wanted to be invisible. He would take his torch, a bottle of apple juice, and a comic book, and he could spend hours upon hours in there. It was a shame, really, that he could no longer fit.

A frown appeared upon Eponine's face, "I don't have a sleeping bag."

"Just take your duvet," replied Grantaire, "And blankets. Do we have blankets?"

"We have blankets." Eponine said with a nod. "And cushions."

"No painting peace signs on the tents though, that's just taking it too far."

Eponine let out a crisp laugh, and sunk back into the sofa, crossing her arms. Grantaire finished his drink with a contented sigh, and pushed himself up from the sofa, informing Eponine that he was hungry.

"Unnecessary information." Eponine yelled at him as he made his way to the kitchen. You see, he felt a hole in his person, a hole that can only be filled with pizza. He searched the fridge.

"One pizza?! Are you trying to starve me woman?"

"We're leaving tomorrow and we won't be taking food, therefore anymore pizzas would have gone to waste." Came Eponine's reply from the sofa. He heard the sound of a book page turning.

"Did you not acknowledge the fact that we would consume more than one?"

"Nope."

Grantaire let out a frustrated sigh, pulled the single, lonesome pizza out of the fridge, and slammed it shut. Or slammed it as much as he could without the milk flying from its place in the door.

"Temper!" Sang Eponine's voice from behind her book.

"Hungry!" Grantaire mimicked her tone, almost exactly, I might add; he had a rather convincing mock female voice when he put in the effort. He opened the box containing the doughy, tomato-y gift of mozzarella perfection bestowed upon us feeble human beings, and turned the dials on the small oven that conveniently was situated right opposite the fridge. Upon closing the oven door, with the pizza safely inside, he fetched another drink and congratulated himself on a job well done.

Back in her room, after Grantaire and herself had finished their token of a feast, Eponine stood now wearing her pyjamas in front of the well used, hastily patched up old duffle bag that was lying on her bed, taking in her options of wardrobe for the weekend. Not she had all that much to choose from...

She picked out her 1 dark grey hoodie, 2 t-shirts, one purple, one crimson, and 2 pairs of skinny jeans, one of which had a holes in the knees. She stifled a yawn as she folded up her selected items of clothing and slipped them into her duffle, along with 4 books, she was packing a 5th in her backpack, _you can never be too careful_, her phone charger, her washbag, underwear (but we shan't go into detail), a towel, 3 blankets, and a torch she had found in one of the kitchen drawers. It was most likely Grantaire's, but he needn't know. It was unnecessary information.

* * *

The next morning, Eponine slowly opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times due to the warm sunshine streaming through the gap in her thin, striped curtains. She lay there for a moment, not making any effort to move, enjoying that feeling of not having to get up for work, or college for that matter, what with it being the holidays, and Fridays being her day off. Still, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she was supposed to be somewhere today. _Wait, didn't I set my alarm last night? I'm sure- crap._

And then she leapt out of bed, and froze. The clock on her bedside table read 11:02am. "Fu...dgecakes"(she had recently been trying to reduce her language; the substitutes she would come out with sometimes were quite something). Her eyes frantically searched the room, looking for some good news. They landed on her duffle bag, _thank god I'm already packed_, and then she grabbed her designated outfit for the day. By wearing most of the clothes she was packing, she had reduced her luggage by almost a third, meaning all she was taking was her duffle bag, her backpack, as many cushions as she was capable of taking, and her green – or rather, brown - wellies, as she would be wearing her black hi top converse.

"'Taire!" She called out, throwing on her last item of clothing, still in the slow process of waking up. She grabbed a hair tie from her bedside table, "'Taire!" She tried again, hastily smoothing down her hair, not bothering to brush it, and pulling it into a side plait. She ran out of her door, tripping over her hairbrush lying on the floor. _And just what do you think you're doing down there? _She was about to kick in under her bed in frustration, but with a change of heart, she picked it up and lobbed it onto her bed, _I might need that._

She then found herself at Grantaire's bedroom door, turning the handle and striding in, expecting to see, well, she didn't know what she was expecting to see, but it wasn't his empty bed. Confused, she turned 180 degrees and went out the way she came, "Grantaire!" He wasn't in the kitchen either, or the parlour. She poked her head into the hallway, no sign of him there. The bathroom? Nope.

Pulling out her phone, she furiously typed out a message.

_Where the hell are you?_

Letting out a sigh and chucking her phone onto the sofa, she went back into the kitchen, tugging on her braid in irritation. Realising that her stomach was making noises and calling out to be fed, she reached up to one of the kitchen cupboards; this particular one was painted bright red, and was home to various boxes of cereal.

Grantaire and herself had painted each cupboard and drawer a different colour, not only was this helpful in finding things, but it also looked fabulous.

Picking up a red and white striped china bowl from the drainer by the sink, she poured out her choice of cereal, which happened to be crunchy nut cornflakes, and turned to fetch the milk from the fridge. It was then that the doorbell rang throughout the apartment.

"What the hell..." She muttered to herself as she slugged towards the front door, her sudden wake up call slowly creeping up on her.

Obviously, it would be Courfeyrac there to pick her up. Eponine didn't even care to acknowledge that it could in fact be someone else. She opened the door and started to say something about her obviously not being the only one who overslept, but she stopped in her tracks once she registered the person that was currently standing in her doorway.

The blonde curls, the crisp white t-shirt that looked like it had never seen a single wrinkle in its short life, the red hoodie zipped half way up, need I say more?

"Good morning," Enjolras greeted Eponine with a curt nod.

"Mornin'," She replied with a questioning tone, narrowing her eyes at the man stood in front of her. He didn't look all that pleased to be where he was on that genuine, fine day, but he looked well practised at hiding such a thing.

"You weren't aware of the plans, were you?" He sighed, crossing his arms, his facial features holding their default stoney gaze.

Eponine shook her head, slumping her shoulders slightly as she turned and walked into the kitchen. Enjolras followed her in and waited politely in the doorway.

A short moment passed as Eponine went about her business. Enjolras stood there, watching her with careful patience and checking his watch every now and again, if anything to give his eyes something else to do.

"What is it with you and doorways? You're always in one." Eponine stated as she nudged the navy blue cutlery drawer closed with her hip, spoon in one hand and her bowl of cereal, now complete with milk, in the other.

"Don't bother answering that," She started to spoon the cornflakes into her mouth, eyeing Enjolras. "Help yourself to cereal, it's in the red cupboard." She offered, giving a physical indication of the one she was talking about with her eyes.

"I've eaten, thank you."

"Suit yourself," Her phone made a 'ding' sound, notifying her of a message. _Grantaire. _She left the now half empty bowl on the side and went to find her phone, now somewhere among the many cushions they had piled on their sofa. She picked up one of the last cushions remaining on the sofa, and of course, her phone was underneath.

_I'm in Combeferre's car. When he arrived you were fast asleep so we let you be. He said Enjolras was driving on his own so we asked him to give you a lift instead._

Eponine frowned at her phone, let a huff of air out through her nostrils, and typed a reply.

_I gathered. _

She slipped her phone into the back pocket of her skinny jeans in desperate need of a patch up, and looked around at the mess of cushions that surrounded her person.

"How many of these can we fit in your car?" She asked the figure still standing in the kitchen doorway.

"That depends on how much luggage you have," Started Enjolras, but before he could finish, Eponine had dashed down the corridor leading to her bedroom. She returned soon enough, proudly bearing one medium sized, yet fit to burst, and incredibly worn duffle bag, and her backpack. She raised her eyebrows at Enjolras, and gave him a small, expectant smile, awaiting the answer he owed her on the cushions.

"Is that all?" He for some reason had it in his head that a girl was sure to pack more, but then this was Eponine.

"Yes, excluding my wellies, which should be behind you." He turned around and sure enough, there they were.

Enjolras nodded his confirmation. "Did you want to finish your breakfast?"

"You can grab some cushions, take my things to your car, and I'll join you in a minute." She walked towards him and held out her things for him to take, he did so, with what she detected as the slightest bit of reluctance, but who was he to make such a fragile creature carry her belongings – however if he had spoken such a thought out loud, he was sure she would have snatched them right back.

Eponine devoured the last of her cereal, gave the bowl a quick wash and returned it to its place on the drainer once more.

She exited the tall apartment building, closing the door shut behind her, "Later suckers," She whispered to nobody in particular as she made her way towards Enjolras' black car, now packed with her cushions. She couldn't help but giggle a little at the sight. Demanding her face to take up its previous blank state, she opened the passenger door and threw her backpack onto the car floor. Sliding in, she closed yet another door shut behind her.

"So, how long is this gonna take?" She asked as she clicked her seatbelt into place.

"A couple of hours, Courfeyrac chose a place near the coast." Enjolras started the engine, a faint feeling of uneasiness stirring in the pit of his stomach.

_2 hours stuck in a car with the marble man. Thank god for books._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry this update took longer than before, but you see, I was away camping! I would like to say it was specifically to do research for this fic, but alas, it was not. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and again, thank you for all the follows and the favourites, and the reviews. They are very much appreciated! EDIT: I've made some alterations to this chapter, mainly towards the end, just because I didn't feel the storyline was quite plausible. I'm sorry, I really don't like changing chapters once they've been published, but I felt this was necessary.**

* * *

"Will you be reading for the entire journey?" They had been driving now for about 15 minutes. Enjolras glanced at Eponine briefly, careful to choose the right moment when they got onto a straight piece of road to take his eyes from it. There she was, her nose in a book, lost in the world that only the perfect combination of words on paper may create.

"Most likely." Came her reply, her eyes still roaming the pages. Enjolras, though try as he might, had never been able to read in cars. Trains, yes, buses even, but not cars. He would always feel slightly queasy, and have to then look out of the window and focus on something in the far distance to stop that faint dizziness from grasping hold of his person, and then refusing to let go until the car had stopped. He never really took much pleasure from being the passenger anyhow; he was a natural born leader. And god forbid, a natural born leader cannot simply sit there, doing nothing as he is ferried from one place to the next. That is why he had learned to drive as soon as he could.

Silence spread through the small space in the black, four seater car currently stuffed full with cushions – and camping equipment, but mostly cushions – a silence with which Enjolras was strangely comfortable. Eponine was content keeping herself to herself, and as was he. Sometimes you just can't beat one's own company.

"If it is conversation you want, you are gonna have to try harder than that, Enjy."

He pursed his lips and blinked harder than was necessary. How he detested that nickname, much to his friends' amusement. The moment quickly passed, however, and he returned his focus to the road stretching ahead.

Eponine sighed shortly, and temporarily closed her well loved book, careful to keep her fingers in the pages so she had means of a quick return. "The sunshine is supposed to last all weekend, according to the weather forecast," Grantaire had suggested she check the forecast last night as they were eating. When she had asked him why he shouldn't do it, he had replied with a snort.

"Your turn." She picked up her book, absent mindedly searching for the last line she had read.

_Why did I let Courfeyrac talk me into this? _Enjolras thought to himself. He took a couple of deep breaths, and calmed himself down. _She'll get back to her book soon enough._

"Have you been camping before?" He thought that was a reasonable question. The answer shouldn't be too long, but it involved an answer he was partially interested to hear.

"When I was 6," Eponine started, putting her book down once again, that of which she did not look all that pleased, but she complied. "It was the only holiday we could afford... at the time," She added hastily, trying to keep it vague enough. She really didn't want to delve into her past, especially to Enjolras. For one, she didn't know him as well as some of the others. I mean, how could she? They had hardly any common ground; he was from a good family, had a good upbringing, a good life in general. And what she knew of politics, was what she learned from books, and of course what she took away from hanging around her particular group of friends.

And then there was the fact that he might try and intervene, being who he was, and that, should would not tolerate.

She had sorted her life out all by herself, anyway. She payed her share of the rent with the part-time job she had gotten herself at Café Musain, the coffee shop at which she worked – also second home to the group of friends.

"Let's just say we didn't go again." She picked up her book, now a getting better practised at finding her place, and returned to her own world. "What about you?" She added, to be polite. She hadn't decided whether she would be interested in the answer yet.

Enjolras sighed, "My family and I, we'd try to go away at least once a year," Eponine scoffed at this, to herself, of course.

"And I actually enjoyed it. However..." He paused, and when Eponine glanced at him out of curiosity, she saw a crack in the marble; a memory, whether a painful one or just long forgotten she wasn't sure, passing before his eyes. Though it was short lived, his brows had furrowed, and they remained that way, almost as a reminder. "That tradition didn't last long, and I have not been for a few years."

_Perhaps his childhood wasn't all that perfect after all. _Eponine shook the thought from her head, _that's his business, _and busied herself with her book. "At least you have a tent," She continued as she read, a skill she had developed over her years of reading, and of which she was rather proud.

"Technically, I don't. I gave it to Combeferre as he was leaving earlier, so he could pitch it."

"Afraid to get your hands dirty?" She asked, a slight hint of teasing in her tone.

He let out a sigh. "No, it made more sense."

Ignoring his building frustration, she continued. "You do have a sleeping bag though. And I know this, because I've seen it."

Enjolras gave her a brief questioning look, wondering just when she'd seen his sleeping bag, but then he realised he had put it on top of the cushions, so it wouldn't get lost amongst them.

"You don't have one?"

"Hence the blankets and cushions."

"I thought you just liked to be comfortable."

Eponine gave a short, genuine laugh, and sighed, shaking her head. Enjolras' right eyebrow lifted a little, but that was all he did to respond.

They continued in this manner for the next half hour, in blessed silence, save for a quite chuckle from Eponine, or the click of the indicators before Enjolras made a turn.

Enjolras left Eponine to her book, and Eponine left Enjolras to his thoughts, and they were mutually content.

"What are you reading?" Enjolras asked, not exactly giving into the silence, but he was a little curious.

"Pride and Prejudice," She replied, a small smile playing on her lips, the type that would naturally appear when she was talking about something she loved.

Enjolras noticed this small display of adoration, and the faintest expression of happiness interrupted his usual stoney expression. Eponine was talking about something she was obviously passionate about, and that was making her happy. Perhaps they had something in common after all.

Eponine happened to glance over at him right at this moment, and their eyes locked. Eyes that had seen so many things. So many different things, yet neither were more experienced than the other.

She was the first to change her expression, from the bewildered smile that was there before, to a raised eyebrow and a look of amusement. However, Enjolras' marble form returned to his facial features and he broke the gaze before either could act upon it because he wasn't one for driving with his eyes elsewhere. Eponine's gaze lingered for a few seconds more before she remembered the book still in her hands, waiting patiently for her to return to, and she didn't like to keep it waiting.

Another half hour passed, with no further interaction between the two. They've now been in the car for a total of 1 hour and fifteen minutes, and counting, for those of you not keeping up.

"Will we be stopping at all?" Eponine purposefully slammed her book on her finger, with a hint of agitation that, to Enjolras, had appeared from nowhere.

"Stopping?" His eyes remained fixed on the road as he tried to clarify her question.

"Y'know, loo break, stretch the legs, food?"

"I hadn't planned to. I thought we'd try and get to the campsite as soon as we could, because of how late we left."

"We did not leave late, everyone else left ridiculously early. Combeferre must have coaxed Grantaire out of bed with a drink, I tell you." She stated as she looked out of the window at the trees passing by her with speed.

"I just don't want to arrive too long after the others," Replied Enjolras, sighing internally, "But if you would like to stop, then we will."

"Thank you." Said Eponine simply, as she returned to her book, a small smirk of satisfaction upon her face, because victory was hers.

Ten minutes later, Enjolras pulled into a service station, and they both got out of the car. Eponine slammed her door shut, out of habit, as she had grown up with doors never closing properly. Enjolras winced slightly, but didn't say anything as he gently closed his own door. They made their way inside and Eponine left to go to the toilet, she hadn't gone before she left, whereas Enjolras had; in Eponine's defence, she hadn't known how long the journey would be.

Enjolras found he was actually thirsty, as when driving, he tends to ignore his personal needs and focus on the destination ahead, which meant that he rarely stopped on the way to places, unless he needed fuel. He decided to go find some water, a bottle for himself, and a bottle for Eponine, because he couldn't justify catering for himself and not his friend. Despite not always getting along, he still considered her a friend.

"I'll have some orange juice instead," She said as she came up behind him and spied the bottles in his hand, "I never used to like orange juice, until Marius bought me some one time." She added with a hint of a sad smile, memories of the time she had spent with Marius passing through her head like a flowing river. The time she had spent with him before she accidentally introduced him to Cosette, that is.

Marius and Eponine had been best friends since primary school, or rather since she was 8, as that was when her parents had finally agreed to let her go to school. Marius was the only kid who hadn't turned up their little noses and shunned her for turning up in a filthy uniform, or not having enough money to pay for school dinners. Over the years, she went from liking Marius, to really liking him, to realising she was falling in love, which wasn't like Eponine. She was tough, she didn't need that soppy thing called love. Her parents had just about survived without it, and she sure as hell had survived without it, so she would continue to do so. But there was something about Marius that made her give in to her inner stubbornness. Even when he had introduced her to his group of friends, and they weren't all that bad at all, it was still Marius. After hanging around in Marius' shadow when he was with his friends, I mean, it's not like she had anywhere else to go, she had become good friends with them herself, and for the first time in her life, she had friends. One of which, she considered far more than a friend. And then Cosette had come along. It was Cosette's first day, and Eponine had miraculously ended up being assigned honorary friend to Cosette and giving her a tour of the college. She wasn't the most obvious choice to do such a thing, so goodness knows how it happened. But she had gritted her teeth and smiled as pleasantly as she could as she walked Cosette around the building. Marius had spotted Eponine and come bounding up to her, eager to find out how her weekend had been, but he never got round to asking, because his eyes had locked with Cosette's. And that was that. And she knew it. Having to introduce them to each other didn't help the situation, and she had to build a wall in order to keep the pain and anger from spilling out and flushing her dear friend away. Marius announced Cosette and himself were dating a week later, and up went that wall again, and it didn't come down for a good few weeks. She was left practically stone cold, a mixture of despair and anger almost permanently upon her face. What made it worse was that Marius was still acting like they were best friends, and being his usual lovely self, and Cosette was lovely too. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she was being ridiculous, she should be happy that her best friend was so happy, but she had no time for thoughts like that. Gradually, as more weeks passed, her wall had started to collapse, and she started to return to her old self. She also found she was starting to smile back at Cosette when Cosette would greet her in the hallway, or have conversations with Marius again, but somewhere, buried deep insider her, was still that pain, refusing to vanish completely. _Never will I fall for someone again._

Enjolras noticed this small display of emotion from Eponine, and his brows furrowed momentarily in a sympathetic way.

"Are you alright?" He asked, taking the bottle of orange juice gently from Eponine's tight grasp and putting the unwanted bottle of water back in its place.

Eponine shrugged, painfully aware that every single one of her friends, besides Marius, who had been and still remained completely oblivious, knew of her feelings. Apparently those emotions, she wasn't so skilled at hiding.

"He wasn't mine in the first place, so why linger on it?" She went off in search for something small to eat, and the moment was soon forgotten. Enjolras went to the checkouts and payed for the drinks, and Eponine's salt and vinegar crisps, once she had returned. She had offered to pay for her things, but he had politely refused, and she had needed no further persuasion.

Within five minutes, they were on the road again, Eponine crunching her way through her snack as she chuckled at one of her favourite books, _oh, Mr. Collins_, and Enjolras was once again left to his own thoughts. Some of which were on Eponine, and her obvious – to everyone but the person in question - infatuation with Marius Pontmercy. He remembered how his friends had expressed, on more occasions than one, how much they wanted to smack Pontmercy around the head for being so blind. But Combeferre had advised them against interfering. Now I think they were happy they had taken Combeferre's advice, because Marius was happy, Cosette was delightful, and Eponine seemed to be coping. But Eponine was the kind of person who chose how she would come across to people, this much Enjolras knew from observing alone, so he figured no one would know how she truly felt, unless she decided to show them.

"How long till we get there?" Came Eponine's voice from behind the pages of Pride and Prejudice, interrupting Enjolras from his thoughts.

"If you cared to look out the window, you would see the sea, meaning not very long." He replied, a little more pointedly than he had planned.

Eponine closed her book with a soft thump, as her finger was keeping her place, and looked out of her window to see a vast stretch of blue. A small smirk of realisation came to her face, "You don't know."

Enjolras lifted his eyes briefly to the ceiling of the car, in what one could only assume was his version of an eye roll, "Ten minutes."

Eponine silently returned to her book, her lips still twisted into that small smirk, now one of amusement.

Gradually, the roads got narrower, and the scenery changed from one of green, to one of blue as they drove down various lanes, all with the sea in perfect view.

"The campsite should be just along here, on the right." Enjolras thought out loud as they found themselves driving slowly down one winding lane.

Sure enough, there it was.

They made a turn and ended up down an even smaller lane, lined with trees. The trees cleared, and they were driving across a field of luscious green grass, the kind you just want to lay down and fall sleep in, with the sea just a short walk away.

Eponine gave Courfeyrac a call, "Hey, we're here."

"Finally!" Came Courf's overly cheerful, yet deep voice, "Where abouts are you?"

"Uhh, there's a small building with a 'reception' sign, and we're parked in front of it." They had come across said building after turning a corner, and decided to park, temporarily, as Enjolras had pointed out, and take things from there.

"Great, I'll come and meet you and show you where we've set up camp."

"Courf?"

"Yes?"

"Try not to use many cliché terms when on this trip."

"Noted. Be there in a sec."

Eponine sighed, but it wasn't a sigh of one fed up, it was a sigh of amusement, with a hint of excitement, and then maybe just a touch of fed up.

"He's going to come and meet us," She repeated to Enjolras, to which he nodded, and got out of the car to keep an eye out for Courfeyrac. He first saw a head of dark brown curls, neatly kept, bobbing up and down from just behind the hill, then came the bright, green and playful eyes, followed by the plain baby blue t-shirt, the black skinny jeans, and then the green wellies. Eponine let out a small chuckle at the sight of him, as running in wellies isn't the easiest task in the world, and this is Courfeyrac. Running. In wellies.

"Hey!" He said as he finally reached them, catching his breath, "I shouldn't have ran." He pushed his fingers through his now slightly damp curls, "I'll jump in, and show you where we are, yes?" He didn't wait for an answer before opening the back door, only to be greeted by a car full of cushions. He gave Eponine a questioning look, shrugged, and dived in, landing right on top of the cushions piled high in the back row. "Onwards!" Came his muffled voice from inside the car. Eponine and Enjolras shared a quick glance before getting into the car themselves, and they set off, following Courfeyrac's shouted directions.

Bahorel was the first to spot them, "Well look who finally decided to rock up."

Enjolras pulled in alongside Cosette's silver car, and they all got out of the car; Courfeyrac, with a little difficulty.

Enjolras' six man tent was put up, as was what one could only assume was Cosette's tent. It looked like it was fresh out of the box, though a box from goodness knows where, as the tent was pastel pink, with a tacky purple and green paisley pattern spread across it, and bright orange guy ropes; about 20 of them. _Well that won't be going anywhere anytime soon. _Eponine thought to herself as she looked around the group. Everyone was sat in camp chairs around a pile of various camping equipment yet to be set up, eating packets of crisps. An open, half empty tin of flapjacks sat next to Marius and Cosette, who were on the picnic blanket together. But that scene didn't last long as everyone descended upon the new arrivals, greeting them.

Eponine, Enjolras and Combeferre then set to work unloading the cushions, 3 blankets, Enjolras' sleeping bag, a cooker complete with gas, a camp chair, and Eponine's duffle bag and Enjolras' travel bag. They added it to the pile of things in the middle to be sorted out later.

Enjolras was just about to take a seat when a two man tent, still in its bag, was plonked at his feet, he looked up to see Courfeyrac staring expectantly at him, a spec of mischief aglow in his eyes.

"What's this?"

"Yours and Eponine's tent." Courfeyrac started to walk away, but Enjolras grabbed his shoulder and spun him back around.

"What?"

"Because we didn't know when you guys would get here, we decided to sort out the sleeping arrangements and get settled, and unless you feel like sharing with Marius and Cosette, that's your only option," He kicked at the tent on the ground, "And you did come up in a car together."

"Why would that-" Enjolras didn't get to finish however, because Courfeyrac had made his escape while he still could. Enjolras looked over at Eponine, whose frown indicated that she had overheard the conversation.

He was about to speak when another item was thrown at his feet. A double airbed yet to be inflated.

"It's the only one left!" Came Courfeyrac's voice from what sounded like behind Combeferre's dark green car. Enjolras clenched his jaw and bent down to pick up the airbed.

From behind him, Eponine, having overheard this conversation too, frowned further. _Great going, boys._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! As always, thanks for the reviews and such, do keep them coming. Also, I am off to France for the next two weeks, and having almost never been abroad (being a toddler doesn't count) safe to say I am really rather looking forward to it. Now, I'm not taking my laptop with me, so I won't be able to update this fic while I'm away, but here's another chapter to keep you going. Au revoir! (I know it's cliche, shh.)**

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"Honestly, I'd be fine with sleeping on the floor if you want to have the airbed," Eponine insisted as Enjolras was pumping up said airbed. They had set up their tent, a dark green, two man tent with a porch area, and were now trying to come to some sort of arrangement with the sleeping situation. They had been at it already for 5 minutes.

"No, if anyone is going to sleep on the floor, it should be me."

"No, Enjolras. I'd be perfectly comfortable sleeping on the floor, I've slept on the floor many a times before..." She stopped herself from saying anything more. Enjolras looked up at her, he was starting to get the feeling there was a lot to Eponine he didn't know. She held his gaze, as if threatening him to start questioning her. Enjolras returned his focus to the part-inflated airbed before him, and the brief exchange was soon forgotten. Eponine turned and went to find someone else to converse with.

"Perhaps," Enjolras let out a sigh, "If we sleep on separate sides," He offered, as he knew Eponine wasn't going to give in and allow him to sleep on the floor, and he was certainly not going to allow her to do such a thing.

"Fine." Eponine sternly replied over her shoulder, deciding their conversation was through, and that she could always sneak out after he'd fallen asleep. She was good at sneaking out. She always had been. Her father had claimed it was a natural talent, inherited from none other than himself, but she felt it was a skill she had developed out of necessity. She made her way towards Marius and Cosette, the latter of the two was perched on top of the other as they were lounging on a picnic blanket in front of Cosette's tent, with Jehan, who was happily nibbling away at the tin of flapjacks; flapjacks homemade by Cosette, of course.

"Nice tent," Eponine said as she approached them, a smile tugging at her lips, though whether one of friendliness or of amusement, she wasn't sure.

Cosette's shoulders drooped slightly, "Not you too," Marius pulled Cosette closer into an almost protective cuddle, "The others wouldn't stop laughing as I was putting it up, saying I must have stolen the TARDIS in order to come across it, but I found it at a car boot sale. And I actually really like it! It's... different, you know?"

Eponine's smile widened into one of amusement, "Indeed it is," But faded slightly as she observed how the couple were with one another, and just how much Marius cared for Cosette. _Would he ever act like that with me? _She shook the thought from mind, _No, you are not going through this again,_ just as a spraying sound came to her ears, followed by a wretched smell, rather like nail varnish remover, mixed with vinegar and mustard, with a hint of strawberries. She coughed, fanned the smell away from her face with her hand whilst trying to keep her nose as far away from the stench as possible, and turned to see Joly coating himself in something.

"What," She coughed again, "Is that?"

Joly gave her an apologetic, anxious look, and let out the breath he had been holding, "I'm so sorry! It's triple action bug spray. Please try not to breath it in!" He took a deep breath and again held it, puffing out his cheeks as he continued to spray this ghastly bug repellent. But then with it being Joly, he was bound to have some sort of potion for repelling just about anything. Eponine sucked in a breath also, and did not let it go until she was clear of the medical student and his special spray, safe on the other side of their pitch. She ended up in standing in front of Combeferre, who was kneeling on the grassy ground in front of the six man tent with his head down, surrounded by bags of shopping, sorting through them. Which was lucky for her, really, as the sight of food at that point in time reminded her that it was coming up to 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and she had not yet had a proper lunch. Crisps and flapjack don't count.

When she's at home, engrossed in a good book, she often forgets to feed herself, and then when she finally gets round to mentally forcing the book from her hands and looks at a clock, she realises it has gone midnight, and fixes herself a small snack before climbing into bed to finish the book.

"How's the menu looking?" She asked after a few silent seconds had passed.

Combeferre's head snapped up, as if she had just appeared from nowhere, interrupting his sorting.

"I hope you like your super noodles," He replied, raising his eyebrows and smiling at her, his hand still inside a bag that looked to be full of packets of crisps. He looked down at the ground with a thoughtful sigh, "Why did I take Courfeyrac into the shop?"

"You called?" Courfeyrac popped his head out of the tent, looking expectantly between the two faintly surprised faces. He then noticed the shopping bags.

"Oh, fear not my friends! I am a gourmet chef when it comes to super noodles." He clambered out of the tent, flicking the curtain of dark curls from his eyes, a confident grin plastered to his face. Eponine noticed he had shed the wellies to reveal a pair of brightly coloured odd socks.

"But we don't want to be feasting on super noodles for the entire weekend," Combeferre sighed and stood up, giving his legs a little shake to get the feeling back into them, "Hey Cosette, how many tins of flapjacks did you bring?" He called out to her, a hint of teasing detectible in his voice.

Cosette smiled brightly at him in response, and then held up her finger, remembering something, while at the same time signalling for them to wait. She disappeared into her disco of a tent, and returned moments later with what appeared to be bags of more food. Combeferre started to get excited when he spied a carrot peeking out of the top.

"I know we agreed to not bring any food," She started to say as she strode towards them, "But I couldn't help but grab these on my way out." She bent down, putting the bags down to join the others, and then straightened up, brushing a stray blonde wave out of her face and tucking it behind her ear with one hand, while the other she placed on her hip.

Combeferre curiously peered into the bags, and pulled out handfuls of apples, pasta, oranges, tomatoes, and what looked to be ingredients for something, his eyes almost growing wider with every item.

He carefully returned them to their previous home, thanked Cosette graciously, and returned to sorting out the food, positively thrilled to have some new things to organise.

"If you ask me, camping is all about the junk food." Courfeyrac said, watching Combeferre with a frown.

Eponine laughed at him, "Though I am with you on that one, I don't think we as human begins could function on super noodles exclusively for an entire weekend." She patted him comfortingly on the arm, not able to contain her grin of amusement. She then picked out a packet of crisps, deciding they shall suffice.

"But I brought marshmallows, and hot dogs, and scotch eggs, and chocolate spread too! Amongst other things of course, not just..super...noodles," She raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, "Ok I see your point. Case closed." He recoiled into the tent with a flap of his hand. Eponine sighed and shook her head, working her way through her packet of cheese and onion flavoured crisps, the ghost of a smile still playing on her lips.

Combeferre, having heard the recent conversation between his two friends, decided to step in.

"Cosette, as our previous chef has resigned from his post, how would you like to become the designated chef for the weekend?"

"Of course!" She replied with a happy smile, kneeling down with Combeferre, who was now again doing the same, to help him organise the food.

"Hey, Ep," Eponine turned to see Grantaire, who was currently sprawled across a camp chair with a bottle of cider in hand, much like he tends to do back at home on the sofa. How he manages to take up the same position, and in a camp chair no less, is beyond anyone. He was beckoning her over, to which she complied, folding up the now empty packet of crisps and shoving it into her dark grey hoodie's pocket. She was soon sat cross legged in front of him.

"I forgot to ask, how was your journey with the marble statue?" He took a long swig of his drink, and then offered some to Eponine. Only after she took a swig herself and had handed the bottle back to Grantaire did she answer him with a shrug.

"It was fine. I had Pride and Prejudice," She explained, that half smile of adoration making yet another appearance, and for the same reason as before. "And he isn't made entirely of marble." She reached for his bottle and put it to her lips once more.

"My my, Eponine, did you manage crack the marble? A task no one has ever, and it was doubted would ever be done?" Grantaire took his drink back, a mock expression of shock taking over his rough features. He was met with a swift slap to his leg.

Eponine then made another grab for his bottle, but he saw it coming and pulled it out of her reach. "Enough. Get your own!"

"But it's not the same!" She looked up at him, her eyes now mimicking those of a puppy, "Surely you know as much as anyone how much better someone else's drink tastes," She paused, "So long as you trust them, that is."

"I shall take that as a compliment," His drink started to make it's way towards his own lips, "There's plenty more in our tent, I made sure we were in good supply, you know."

"And for that I am grateful," Eponine stood up, deciding there's plenty of time for refreshments later, and patted his head as she walked behind him, past Enjolras who was now sat in a camp chair of his own, focused on writing something down in a notebook, and headed towards her home for the next couple of days.

Upon opening the entrance, she saw her duffle bag and wellies alongside Enjolras' travel bag, and his own wellies, all sitting in the porch area. She noticed the sleeping area was zipped up. _He's not one of those people that insist on keeping the tent closed 24/7, is he? _

She sighed, opening up the compartment, only to be greeted by a barricade of cushions. Enjolras must have piled them in as he was putting away the airbed. _Ho_w_ thoughtful, _Eponine mused as she created a path for herself, knocking down the wall as she went. She saw that Enjolras had laid his sleeping bag out on the far side of the airbed.

Now, on the plus side, the airbed was so big that they could sleep with a comfortable distance between them, and she could probably sneak into the porch with ease. On the downside, the airbed took up the entire sleeping compartment, which meant she would probably be sleeping under a duvet of cushions, as well as her blanket. She shrugged, the sky looked like it would remain clear that night, meaning it would no doubt turn cold, and there would be she, perfectly warm and toasty. Climbing across to her half of the airbed, she started to arrange the cushions into a sort of nest, laying her blanket across the top of them.

She collapsed into her creation, claiming to nobody in particular that she was simply testing it out. As she lay there, staring at the green ceiling of the tent, she could hear the pleasant sounds of general chatter coming from just outside. She settled further into her nest, coming to the conclusion that she was quite comfortable on the airbed, and that she would only sneak out if necessary. _It's only for one weekend, _she reminded herself. The sound of someone tripping over a camp chair, followed by a thud and a curse came to her ears, closely followed by the raucous laughter of her friends, and the concern of Joly as he fussed over the victim, who was either Courfeyrac or Bahorel from what she could tell. She added her own laughter to the noise, and felt her eyelids start to grow heavy.

"'Ponine, you didn't get up until 11am, why are you already tired?"She mumbled out loud, yawning as she slowly turned onto her side, folding her arms and legs into herself, and taking up her default sleeping position. It must have had something to do with her not having woken up properly that morning, which was something she needed to do in order to get through the day with ease, she thought to herself, _also, this airbed is damn comfy_. She lazily gave into her fast approaching and now inevitable sleep, and closed her eyes, using her last conscious thought to wonder whether she had zipped up the tent. _Ah well, Enjolras will do it. _And with that, she drifted into a comfortable nap.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Helloo, I am returned from France! I knew I'd love it there. I knew it. Haha. I am sorry for the long wait you've had to endure, but this summer has just been busy busy for me, and I am actually off again camping next week, so there probably won't be another update for a week or so. I'm sorry! But thank you for all the reviews, and the follows and the such like, and I hope this slightly longer chapter will make up for it.**

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Eponine was driving down a long and winding country lane, well after dark, in a car fit to burst with blankets and cushions. She looked out onto the black stretch of road before her, listening to the thunderous patter of the rain on the windscreen. She looked to her right, expecting to see Enjolras and ask him how much longer they would be, but instead she saw her father sat at the wheel. He noticed her beside him, as if for the first time, and grinned, bearing his yellow, stained teeth. Eponine physically jumped back, or as much as her restricting seatbelt would allow, and then saw her mother was sitting in the car seat behind her. She smiled a kind, loving smile, but Eponine's own features had turned to cold stone, and she knew her mother's affection was false. Her mother looked hurt, and reached out to brush a lock of hair from Eponine's eyes, but Eponine flung herself backwards, expecting to feel the car door against her back, but there was nothing there. She realised, before it was too late, that she had thrown herself back with so much force, she couldn't stop herself. And she was falling, falling, falling...

Eponine awoke with a jolt, her eyes wide, and heart pounding. Coming to the realisation that it was just a dream – or rather, nightmare – she let out a sigh of relief and brought a hand to her forehead, which was damp from cold sweat. It took a few seconds for her heart rate to slow down, long enough to notice that her tent was vigorously shaking from side to side. Her mind slowly started to make sense of the noises she was hearing; voices.

"'Ponine if you want food you had better come out!" She frowned in concentration, trying to put a face to the command, her mind still foggy from her sudden awakening. It had been a good month or so, after moving out, actually, since she had last had one of her nightmares. She had found the best way to deal with them, was to simply forget.

"Would you please stop shaking the tent? I'd rather not wake up to my tent having collapsed from dislodged pegs." Enjolras, from his campchair set next to the aforementioned tent, addressed Courfeyrac, who had decided this was obviously the best way to wake Eponine up for dinner. Enjolras returned his focus to the notebook sat in his lap, and wrote something down. Had his eyes remained on Courfeyrac however, he would have noticed a small, purposeful and equally mischievous glance at Bahorel, who was hovering around Cosette, or rather, the food, as she was dishing up. He locked eye contact with Courfeyrac, understood completely what was going through his head, and returned the look with a discreet nod. Courfeyrac smiled at his newly appointed partner in crime, took a deep breath as an idea played over in his mind, and gave the tent one last shake. Whether that was to continue trying to wake Eponine up, or to annoy Enjolras, one couldn't be sure.

Enjolras let out a sigh and rested his defined chin on his fist, his eyes inspecting the paragraph he had just written. The sound of a zip opening came to his ears, and he glanced over to see Eponine's head peeking from their tent. Her dark eyes were wide, her long, layered hair was a mess, and she was wrapped up in one of her blankets. She didn't look all that happy.

"There you are!" Courfeyrac slapped his hands against his legs with childish impatience, then saw the look in Eponine's eyes; she had set her laser to kill.

"I am so sorry, I just thought you might be hungry..? Cosette has cooked what is set to be the most amazing pasta with tomato and basil sauce that she just made from scratch that you will every eat, and..." Eponine raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry." He apologised, looking down at his feet.

"Apology accepted," Eponine sighed with a half smile as she made her way out, unravelling herself from her blanket and lazily chucking it through the entrance to the tent.

Enjolras observed this exchange silently, before closing his notebook with a soft clap and standing up, tucking it under his arm just as Cosette cheerfully announced dinner to be served.

"Looks delicious!" Marius said, sliding up behind Cosette and peeping over her shoulder as she busied herself by grating some cheddar cheese, another thing she had grabbed on her way out.

Cosette smiled and kissed his cheek, "Tastes delicious too, if I do say so myself."

"Indeed it does," Came Grantaire, his mouth full with food, saluting Cosette with his fork.

"Here you go, Eponine," Cosette handed a bowl to Eponine, as well as cutlery, and the bowl of grated cheese, should she want to sprinkle any on top. "Are you alright?" She asked with a concerned smile.

"I'm just... tired, is all." Eponine rubbed the sleep from her eyes and then proceeded to stab at her food. Taking a mouthful, she gave Cosette a small, reassuring smile. "Good pasta."

Cosette tilted her head and voiced her genuine gratitude as she handed another bowl to Enjolras, who had come up beside Eponine. He watched her quietly as she concentrated on spreading her grated cheese evenly across her pasta. She suddenly turned, fork in hand, with her intention originally being to find a chair. Her new task, however, was to get around the obstacle that was Enjolras, who seemed to have a faint look of surprise softening his usual cold stare, and was stood right in front of her. She nodded her acknowledgement and shoved some pasta into her mouth, side stepping him as she did so. Heading towards an empty campchair, the very same campchair Enjolras had somewhat claimed earlier that day, she pursed her lips and swallowed. _Well, this pasta sure is good. _She took another forkful and seated herself crossed legged in the chair, finally feeling fully awake, and thankfully refreshed.

"Do you think she's alright?" Cosette approached Enjolras after having sorted out the boys, supported on her hip was the washing up bowl that she was preparing to be put to good use after everyone had finished.

Enjolras snapped himself out of his thought process, to find he had been staring at Eponine. She was holding her hand up to her mouth to ensure no pasta would fall out as she was conversing with Grantaire, who was sat next to her. He looked up as Cosette came and stood next to him, eyeing him thoughtfully.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Well, you have spent the day with her..." Cosette looked him in the eye and raised one of her perfect eyebrows.

"Grantaire lives with her, and therefore is likely a better one for interrogation." Enjolras returned the gaze. Cosette raised her other eyebrow to join its neighbour, her eyes bright.

"It is Eponine, I suppose, and she certainly let's people know she can take care of herself. And besides it has been a long day, for everyone." Cosette gently smiled, forming those defined, half crescents either side of her lips, and walked off to join Marius. Enjolras sighed, sending Eponine a quick glance before having another forkful of pasta and chewing steadily. _She said she was simply tired, and if that's not the case, surely we should respect her wishes to not express her feelings? _He decided he was putting too much thought into the matter, and instead sat there enjoying being in the company of his good friends.

Dinner was soon done and dusted without much further activity, and after having collected up the dishes, Cosette announced she was off in search of the campsite sink. Joly had then suggested that they produce a rota for the washing up, but that had turned out to be a very unpopular idea. So Jehan had volunteered, insisting that since Cosette had cooked such a wonderful meal, she should be let off from washing up duties, but she wouldn't have it, so they decided to compromise and do it together.

"Anyway, washing up on the first night usually means I won't have to do it again!" Had been her last words before striding into the distance, her blonde locks swaying gently behind her as she walked to join Jehan's side, and off they went.

Combeferre stood and turned to look at the sun, now almost completely set, colouring the sky a deep amber orange. Adjusting his glasses and looking purposefully around the group, he suggested they get the fire going, as it'd soon turn cold. He then disappeared into the boy's tent, most likely to take a nap. Like Cosette had said, it had been a very long day for him. Especially an hour in the car with a very excited Courfeyrac, then the rather demanding shopping trip with that same very excited Courfeyrac, followed by another hour in the car with a now hyped up on energy drinks and crisps Courfeyrac. I think it's safe to say that he deserved that nap.

Bahorel heaved himself out of his chair, and started to pull out old planks of wood, dead branches, and a selection of dry logs they had collected earlier that day from underneath Combeferre's car. Eponine comfortably sank back into her chair as she placed Pride and Prejudice pages face down onto her lap, crossing her arms and preparing to watch what would no doubt be a spot of evening entertainment.

Within 10 minutes, Grantaire was attempting to pile wood into some sort of triangle formation, and failing miserably, while Joly was off seeing to Bahorel, who had burnt himself trying to set alight a clearly very much alive and therefore wet piece of wood, and Courfeyrac was becoming giddy with laughter from the hilarious scene that was unfolding before him, unfortunately spilling half of his packet of Doritos in the process. It was such a sight to see, that even Enjolras, who had claimed a new campchair in the corner of their pitch and was sitting in it with a hot cup of coffee, couldn't help but find it a little amusing. Eponine herself was finding it all very amusing indeed, and decided to take pity on the poor things. She had built a fair amount of fires in her time, mostly for a source of heat or light, and occasionally because she had nothing better to do, but that was before she had met these losers.

She took the bit of scrap paper she used as a bookmark from where she keeps it when it was not in use, the back cover, and put it where it could do its job keeping her place. She then headed straight for Grantaire, who was still lying flat on his stomach, fighting a losing battle with the wood. She grabbed a handful of Courfeyrac's Doritos as she passed and popped one into her mouth, which was currently pursed into an amused smirk, before joining Grantaire on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Grantaire asked as he watched her grab Bahorel's lighter from where he had thrown it down in frustration, and set fire to one of the Doritos.

"When starting a fire, you need something that will catch light easily, but then stay alight long enough in order to set fire to the main source of food; the wood." She set the flaming crisp among its fellows, and watched as the flame got passed around. Quickly picking out the smallest of the twigs, she started to add them to the growing fire, casually adding Doritos, one at a time to keep it going, until she was able to successfully form a triangle of moderately sized branches. And they had a campfire.

Eponine looked up to see the rest of the group had been watching her intently, minus Cosette, Jehan and Combeferre, that is. "Have none of you ever started a fire?"

"Sure, in scouts," Courfeyrac replied, still shoving his crisps into his mouth, "But due to health and safety the leaders did most of it."

"Bet you never used Doritos." Eponine said with a smile as she stood up and grabbed another handful, this time solely to feed herself.

"Can't say I did." Courfeyrac raised his eyebrows, staring at the fire. Grantaire smiled to himself as he carefully loaded on another log, now sitting with his long legs crossed in front of him. _First she opens my cider with her keys, then she starts a fire with Doritos, what the hell next?_

"Is it too early for marshmallows? I don't know about you guys, but I'm feeing the marshmallow vibe." Courfeyrac was met with mostly positive feedback, and what negativity he did receive – mainly the water bottle that was thrown at him - he put down to the words that had just left his mouth, and vowed to attempt to never say that combination again. He ventured into the six man tent to find some marshmallows, but not before assigning Grantaire to marshmallow stick carving duties. Grantaire had rolled his eyes, but pulled out his pocket knife.

Cosette and Jehan returned soon after, a washing up bowl full of sparkling clean crockery, and eagerly joined in with the marshmallow roasting. Enjolras decided he ought to check up on Combeferre, having not seen him for a while. He found him laying on top of a very neatly made camp bed, fast asleep.

"Enjolras, could you grab me a bottle of beer?" Came Grantaire's voice from just outside, swiftly followed by a chorus of "Me too!" along with a conclusive "Just bring the whole bag of drinks, it's by my bed." from Grantaire. His brows furrowed slightly, but he complied, looking inside the different compartments until he found the one that must have been Grantaire's, or the one he shared with... Courfeyrac, he assumed. It was already strewn with clothes, wellies, and empty crisp packets, and right at the head of Grantaire's bed, was what looked to be certainly more than one bag full to the brim with various alcoholic substances.

"Which one?" He called out, "There are five." Quiet laughter could be heard from outside, as well as some movement, and Grantaire soon appeared at his side, instructing him to grab one bag as he himself grabbed another. They passed Joly on their way outside, who had a slightly anxious look on his face, but when asked if he was ok, he scrunched up his nose and simply replied, "Bugs." He started to gather together numerous bug repelling candles, and that ghastly triple action bug spray he had been using earlier. They decided to leave him to it.

As the evening sky grew darker, the wind developed a chill, and the group of friends ended up gathered in a tight circle around the campfire.

"You look like you could use a drink, my friend." Grantaire called out to Combeferre as he finally emerged from the tent, looking as if the nap hadn't done him much good at all, though he was now in a perfectly cheerful mood. Taking the offered drink from Grantaire's hand, he settled down and started to help them work their way through all the marshmallows, as Courfeyrac had bought enough to feed a small army.

Drinks were then passed around to everyone, the laughter was gradually getting louder, and while people started to open their second bottle of the evening, Enjolras was still working his way through his first. He wasn't particularly one for drinking for pleasure, not like his friends, that is, but didn't think it an obligation to accompany his friends with one drink.

"Campfire songs, people, come on, we need some campfire songs." Grantaire's complexion had grown rosy, and he was tapping Bahorel's lighter against his almost empty fourth bottle of cider to call attention.

"Oh my God, we could do Old MacDonald Had a Farm, but like, instead of animals, we do us!" Replied Courfeyrac excitedly, as if he had just come up with the most amazing idea in the world.

"If you're volunteering to start us off, Courf," Came Eponine, from her spot on the ground right in front of the campfire. "I'm game." She laughed, and was met with yells of agreement.

Courfeyrac dramatically cleared his throat, and started to sing, or rather, yell with some sort of vague tune. "Old MacDonald had some friends," He held out his marshmallow stick like a conductor's baton, and waved it about as everyone - except perhaps for Enjolras, who hadn't had quite enough to drink, just yet – joined in a chorus of "Ee-aye-ee-aye-oh!"

"Aaaaaand in his group of friends he had a... Joly," Most burst into giggles, with a few snorts here and there, before another collective "Ee-aye-ee-aye-oh!"

Courfeyrac had to attempt to compose himself before singing the next line, "With a hell of a lot of bug spray here, and a hell of a lot of bug spray there, here a hell of a lot of bug spray, there a hell of a lot of bug spray, everywhere a hell of a lot of bug spray, yes Old MacDonald had some friends, ee-aye-ee-aye-oh!"

By the time they got to Marius and his adorable giggle-snort-laugh, everyone was in stitches. Even Enjolras was laughing at the absurdity of some of the things that were coming out of people's mouths, after having loosened up a bit as the evening went on.

"Last verse, here we go," Announced Courfeyrac, who was now somewhat precariously standing on top of one of the on-site picnic tables. He was met with an array of disappointed groans, to which he replied that sadly, all good things must come to an end.

Eponine was suddenly stung by what was meant as an absent minded phrase, and by spoken Courfeyrac no less. But what if this, everything she had built for herself from practically nothing, the wonderful friends she had found herself amongst, what if it all ended? What would she do then? She let out a short sigh, downed what was left in her... oh she had lost count at her third bottle of beer, and pushed such depressing thoughts to the very back and rock bottom of her mind. _Just make the most of the good times, 'Ponine, _she told herself before joining in with the final chorus of "Ee-aye-ee-aye-" and then with a very drawn out "Ohhhhhhh!" as they came to the end of what was one of the best renditions of a classic nursery rhyme the friends had ever heard. Then came an eruption of applause and laughter, and Courfeyrac took a bow, met with louder applause before climbing down from the table.

"Encore!" Jehan encouraged, still clapping.

"Now now, wouldn't want to damage the ol' wind pipes," Replied Courfeyrac with a grin, taking a swig from his freshly opened bottle of beer.

It was after the noise had died down, and people were discussing the first class act they had just witnessed, that Grantaire came up with a different suggestion.

"What does everyone say to a spot of Truth or Dare?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry this update has taken longer than usual, even despite having sat around a lot lately due to almost breaking my foot (from attempting to play tennis in flip-flops, if you must know). But, I have here an update which was hopefully somewhat worth the wait. And thank you for your reviews on the last chapter! I had an amazing week away. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

When Enjolras awoke the next morning, he had a dull ache in his right temple, and a very cold nose. Not that his nose was as such a far more handsome attraction to the cold than the rest of his equally handsome features, and to be fair, he could probably do with putting on another pair of socks come bedtime that evening, but it was the kind of cold that simply has no interest in anything but your external features. _Nothing that a brisk walk to the showers and a glass of water won't fix, _he decided. He then noticed something, something small, and delicate, curled up against him, her head rested on his chest. Though she was facing away from him, he could tell Eponine was sound asleep, her breathing was soft and steady, and as he reached over to check his watch - 6.57am - she subconsciously pulled her blanket closer, and tucked her feet in further, meaning she was quite content in staying put.

Not wanting to possibly disturb her just yet, as she probably needed all the sleep she could get, he chose to lay there for a minute or so, staring at the ceiling of the tent, the birds persisting in their morning chorus, just thinking. Naturally his thoughts halted when they got to the sleeping girl beside him, still using him as a pillow, despite having plenty to spare. _It's simply the cold, no need to deny her some warmth. _However, he did make a mental note to ensure that she was warm enough tonight, and that her supply of cushions were put to good use. His thoughts then landed on the events of the night that had passed. The campfire, the beer, the songs, and that ridiculous game of truth or dare.

* * *

It had started out fairly innocent, and fun, you know, Marius had to walk around their pitch three times pretending to be a drunken chicken - which came quite naturally, under the circumstances - Joly had to eat a marshmallow that had been dropped on the floor, which you can imagine, took a lot of cheering and support from his friends, but he managed to do it! Grantaire had to walk, in the dark, over to the neighbouring pitch - a couple on holiday with their teenage children - pretend to be a creature of his choosing, and make a hell of a lot of noise. When it became apparent that he had chosen a donkey, this brought about laughter from everyone in the group, even a certain, supposed marble man. Then as the evening grew later, the interesting ones started to make an appearance.

"Enjolras, truth or dare?" Courfeyrac asked, his usual mischievous airs made practically double by the aid of several cans of pear cider; his favourite.

Enjolras narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow at Courfeyrac, having been snapped out of a daze-like daydream, and started to acknowledge the wariness he now felt due to the events of the day. The three bottles of beer he had ended up consuming that evening probably had something to do with it, also.

"Truth." He was fully aware that a truth could be just as dangerous and devious as any dare, but with some of the dares his friends had come up with in the past, he figured a truth was in fact the safest option.

A small smirk crept slowly across Courfeyrac's face, and the rest of the group exchanged excited, expectant glances. "If you had to make out with anyone here, excluding the rest of the campsite, of course, who would it be?"

A collective "Oooooh..." rose up from the group, and then he added, for good measure, "And, why?"

Inwardly sighing and coming very close to returning to the childhood habit he had left behind of rolling his eyes, Enjolras contemplated his answer carefully. Saying the wrong thing among his friends could lead to weeks, occasionally months, of torment and teasing. He decided to go about it practically.

"Well, Cosette is already taken, and so my answer would naturally be Eponine." He was aware of an extra pair of feminine yet not girlish eyes suddenly upon his face, gazing with an intensity not unlike his own currently directed towards the flames lapping eagerly at the logs of wood Combeferre provided it with.

"Oh, naturally," Courfeyrac echoed with a theatrical flick of his hand; laughter from various members of the group of friends ensued, naturally. Enjolras gave Courfeyrac a quick gaze of unimpressed amusement, before taking a sip of the bottle of beer he held in his hand and returning his fascination to the yellow, amber and even blue flames before him.

"Well, who is to fall under the mercy of the great Enjolras?" Asked Courfeyrac impatiently, with a little difficulty; 'Enjolras' is hard enough to say when you are sober, let's be honest.

Enjolras let out a sigh and looked around the group, each of which looked back at him with expectancy, aside from one. Eponine apparently thought that her shoelaces were far more intriguing than who Enjolras would choose to ask.

"Bahorel, truth or dare?" In a way, his choice surprised a few, being that they were completely expecting him to ask Eponine, whom had seemed to engaged most of his attentions that evening.

Bahorel looked up from the campfire at Enjolras, his eyebrows raised, "Hm, dare."

Despite having been dragged into this game by his friends many times before, Enjolras never could come up with many dares to match the high standard always set early on in the game, and so decided to enlist some help from his fellow friends. When this happened, as it had happened in past games quite a bit, everyone would think up their own dare, or even truth, but keep it to themselves, until the person whose role it was to ask such a thing in the first instance could pick someone to take his or her place; in this case, Enjolras chose Courfeyrac.

"Ah, wise choice," Courfeyrac replied with his cheeky grin before revealing his decided dare. "Bahorel, I dare thee to go into a tent of your choosing, find an item of clothing that does not belong to you, and then wear it for the rest of the evening. Though I would advise you to choose wisely, you know how protective some," at this he pointed his gaze towards Enjolras, "can be with their possessions."

"Pfft, easy." Bahorel set off at once, and headed towards the paisley patterned tent that was currently home to Marius and Cosette. He soon returned, sporting a pair of bright pink boxers, with black spots, over his jeans, apparently belonging to Marius, judging by the shade of red his cheeks reached in under five seconds.

"Now, for part two," Continued Courfeyrac, his grin widening as he noticed Bahorel starting to think twice about his previous comment. "You are to go over to that campfire I can see in the distance, and do some form of tribal dance around it, even if people are sitting around it roasting marshmallows," Courfeyrac was met with dotted applause from the rest of his friends, as Bahorel pursed his lips and adopted a determined expression before jogging over to complete his set task. "Though try to avoid a rain dance, my friend!" Courfeyrac called after him, "Speaking of marshmallows... have we any left?" He almost mumbled to himself as he toddled into the tent in search of another bag.

Enjolras, his head rested on his fist, could feel his eyelids starting to grow heavy and decided he would retire to bed soon. It had been an enjoyable evening, but with tomorrow being their only full day away, they were bound to do something, and he wanted to be awake for it. As he was taking another sip from his drink, he heard these various animal noises coming from behind him, followed by snickers from his friends. He turned around to see Bahorel shamelessly flailing around the other campfire, limbs flying, bright pink boxer shorts illuminated by the flames. Then came the angry shouts and shooing from the people occupying the fire, who were probably hoping for a peaceful evening, god bless them.

"How did I do?" Asked Bahorel, returned thankfully all in one piece with his hands on his hips, catching his breath. He was met with a round of applause and congratulatory praise from Courfeyrac, who was currently working his way through the bag of marshmallows he had found laying on top of his bed, which he had been saving for a midnight snack, but it was past midnight, so he figured it counted. Bahorel took his seat, satisfied with the response, and decided who the next victim would be.

"Eponine," The girl in question raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment, "Truth, or dare?"

"Dare." She replied, a playful glint in her eyes.

"I dare you," He paused for effect, and everyone seemed to subconsciously lean in towards him, to better hear what he was about to say, "To kiss Enjolras."

Enjolras barely had time to register what was said and give Bahorel a death glare before he felt Eponine's lips upon his. True, it was very brief, as Eponine had quickly pulled away, chewing at her lip, and wolf whistles had erupted among the group, but it was enough; enough for Enjolras to feel something in the pit of his stomach. He could probably put it down to the drink, or perhaps he needed to take a trip to the toilets, which he had been planning on doing before bed anyway, but some thought was nagging away at the back of his mind, turning over and over, and bringing a slight frown to his face. He chose to ignore it, and announced to the group that he was off to bed, careful not to look Eponine in the eye. He then remembered the sleeping arrangements, and brought his hand to the bridge of his nose, momentarily closing his eyes. Yes, bed was a good idea. He would think things over in the morning.

* * *

And that is what he was doing. _But what is there to think about? _He asked himself. _She and I were under the influence of drink, and everyone was simply getting carried away. It didn't mean anything, and it never shall._

The sound of a tent unzipping outside interrupted his thoughts, and he was brought back to the present. He slowly opened his sleeping bag, and slid out of it as carefully as he could so as not to disturb Eponine. He then opened up the sleeping compartment and crawled out. Kneeling up, he placed a cushion under Eponine's head, to replace what he had taken from her by removing himself. Pulling on his red hoodie and grabbing his towel, wash things and a clean set of clothes, he slipped on his converse and unzipped the tent, stretching out his aching muscles as he stood.

"Morning!" Sang a female voice from behind him. He turned around to see Cosette stood at the camping stove in a white, fluffy onesie, with a kettle full of water on the boil.

"Good morning," He replied with a curt nod before closing the tent and heading towards the showers, breathing in the crisp and fresh morning air as he strode off.

As the kettle boiled, it let out a sharp whistle. To some this whistle may bring about a feeling of relaxation, as it meant a cup of tea was not far off, but to Eponine, this whistle meant waking up to a high pitch sound which did nothing to ease her throbbing head. She reached a hand up to pull the cushion her head was currently upon tightly round her ears in an attempt to block out the sound. In doing this, she noticed that she was alone in the two man tent. She was almost thankful to not having woken up finding she had rolled on top of Enjolras in the night or something along those line. With the kettle whistle having finally stopped, she let out a sigh, decided to try and sleep off some of her headache, and drifted off once again.

"Would you like a drink?" Cosette asked Enjolras after he had returned from his shower, the ache in his temple now reduced to an even duller one. She was still the only one out of bed, aside from himself, and she was mixing together what looked to be pre-measured ingredients for something, a cup of hot tea by her side.

"A coffee, please, thank you." Enjolras then proceeded to fold up his towel, making a mental note to air it later, should the sun come out, and put his things away before taking a seat in a camp chair next to Cosette and enjoying his coffee.

It turns out Cosette was making pancakes, and when Enjolras asked her why she does not wait until everybody's awake, she simply said that she was hungry, and was sure people would start waking up soon.

She had just finished getting the different toppings out, when a head of messy, dark chocolate brown curls belonging to Courfeyrac popped out of the six man tent.

"Do I smell pancakes?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly at Cosette.

"You certainly do," She replied brightly.

"Cosette, you are wonderful and Marius is a very lucky man. I knew that Nutella would do perfectly for something." Courfeyrac then disappeared into the tent, shouting at the top of his voice, "RISE AND SHINE HAPPY CAMPERS!" He went about shaking and banging around on the inside of the tent, "Cosette's made pancakes and believe me, they will be ten times better than any amount of extra sleep you could possibly squeeze out of this beautiful morning."

"Courfeyrac," Enjolras started before he was interrupted by the man himself.

"I know, sorry, no tent shaking, received and noted." He emerged fully from the tent still in the clothes he had been wearing the day before, including the wellies. Here's hoping he didn't sleep in those, too.

Various groans could be heard from the boys' tent, the groans you receive when you wake up five hungover guys who didn't want to be woken up; even for Cosette's pancakes. Still, one by one, out came Combeferre, followed by Jehan, Joly, and eventually Bahorel and Grantaire.

"Morning sunshines," Courfeyrac said with a grin, but he was met with items of varying sizes thrown at him by the latter two.

By that time, Marius had also ventured out, and was by Cosette's side as she dished out pancakes to the lot of them. The last to appear was Eponine, in her hoodie and leggings, looking like she could use a cup of tea, luckily, Cosette was on hand to offer her one.

And so the group - minus Bahorel and Grantaire, for they had given in and gone back to bed - went about their morning duties; having breakfast, drinking tea and coffee, and deciding how they were to spend the day.

"I think we should work this out step by step," Enjolras suggested, deciding to bring about some organisation. "We definitely want to leave the campsite, correct?" Agreement was displayed and so he moved on, "Now, do we want to do something indoors or outdoors?" He asked.

"Let me have a look at the weather forecast," Combeferre said as he pulled out his phone, typing and swiping away.

"Looks like it's going to be warm and sunny, and judging by the sky," He glanced up and adjusted his glasses, "That's what it'll be."

"I vote outdoors," Came Eponine's voice from a camp chair just outside the circle formation they were currently sat in, with her book in one hand and a fresh cup of tea in the other.

"Same here," Added Jehan, then came some form of agreement from the rest of the group, and so outdoors it was.

"How about we just spend the day by the sea?" Suggested Cosette.

"Let's do it." Marius concluded, resting his head on Cosette's shoulder.

"A day by the sea it is." Combeferre announced, and everyone set about getting ready for the offsite trip they were to take. Dishes were washed up, towels were hung out to dry, hair was brushed, and wellies were put aside, for the day, at least.

When Courfeyrac had woken the two sleeping boys to ask them if they wanted to join him on an adventure, he had been met with various swear words and curses, but took it all in his stride as he made an announcement to the rest of the group.

"Grantaire the hungover and Bahorel the even more hungover will not be joining us in our adventure due to them being, well, hungover."

"Perhaps I should stay behind and nurse them back to health..." Joly had thought out loud, with a slightly worried expression.

"NO." Grantaire and Bahorel had yelled in unison, and that was assurance enough for Joly.

And so, with Marius riding shotgun in Cosette's car, and the rest in Enjolras', they set off for the sea, full up on glorious pancakes, energised by numerous cups of coffee, and ready for an adventure. And no, Courfeyrac was not going to stop using that word.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello everybody, I would like to apologise profusely for the amount of time it's taken me to update. I'll save you my excuses, but I would also like to thank you so much for the reviews, the follows, and the favourites! They do mean a lot to me. Thank you also for sticking with me, as I've no plans to abandon this fic, and if I were, I would certainly give you prior warning. **

**Anyway, this chapter is no where near worth the wait, but I do hope you enjoy it nonetheless!**

* * *

"Why have you no decent music on here?" Asked Courfeyrac, scrolling through the selection of music on the iPod Enjolras hadn't sorted through in a good year or so.

"Define decent." He replied as he made a left turn. Had he been having a bad day, he would have ignored Courfeyrac's question completely, being that there was no worthwhile point behind it, but he was in a surprisingly content mood.

They had been driving for a mere 5 minutes, but with Eponine squashed between Combeferre and Jehan in the back, she was feeling a little restless. She sighed at the storm that was starting to brew in the two front seats, and silently started to keep an eye out for the sea. It would always be her job, and her job alone, on the incredibly rare occasions her parents would think a trip to the seaside would be a good idea, to keep an eye out for the sea. It was one of her earlier memories, shouting "Sea ahoy!" as soon as she spotted the crisp, bluest of blue stretching out before her, a blue that would promise fresh air and a wonderful view, whatever the weather. She always found it so calming, watching the vast stretch of sea before her, always changing, never keeping the same shape it was the second before.

"Some sort of rhythm is always a good place to start," She was snapped back into the conversation by Courfeyrac's voice obliterating her thoughts. "Followed perhaps by a bass line, maybe even some vocals." He was teasing, of course. Courfeyrac had given up long ago in trying to convince Enjolras to not exclusively listen to classical music and film soundtracks. Enjolras' argument was always that it gave him space to think. Courfeyrac had sighed with his half smile and shook his head at this.

Enjolras let out a short sigh. "Why not try the album entitled 'Courfeytracks'?"

"How… did I miss that one." He murmured as he scrolled back up and selected play. He breathed a sigh of relief as familiar music with a drum beat and actual lyrics started to play through the car speakers. He knew it had been a good idea to import an album of his favourite songs to all of his friends' iPods.

With everything now settled between the DJ and the driver, the rest of the journey passed fairly quickly, and Eponine smiled to herself as the caught that first glimpse of blue.

They drove about the small seaside town until they came to a car park, and with Cosette's car nowhere to be seen, Courfeyrac tapped her number into his phone and pressed dial.

"Hey, where are you guys? You're going to miss the adventure...Uh huh…...What? Wha- How the hell did you manage that? You guys were right behind us?...Oh, oh Marius was map reading, ok...Ok, well we're in the, uh..."

"The central car park." Combeferre offered.

"The central car park. Do you think you can find us?...Ok, cool. See you in a bit." He ended the call. "Marius was map reading," was all he offered as explanation to the others, and they all nodded their understanding.

Once everyone was together again, minus the hungovers, of course, who were probably still snoring away, they made their way down to the beach.

Eponine had always found comfort in the fact that despite constantly changing, the sea remained the same. In fact, today it was made all the more glorious due to the rays of spring sunshine hitting the waves as the made their way to the shore, the breeze not quite as nippy as it had been earlier in the week, and the sea an even deeper blue.

She took in a deep breath as they reached the edge of the sand, and let out a perfectly contented sigh, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly as she then looked up at the sky, squinting from the sun. Her sudden relaxation didn't go unnoticed.

"Do you come to the coast often?" Inquired Enjolras politely, as he came and stood next to her, with his hands held comfortably behind his back, being sure to avoid Courfeyrac who was hopping around like a one legged chicken trying to get his shoes and socks off.

"Oh, uh, no, not really," Was her albeit startled reply. "Don't really get the chance."

"It looks like it does you good." He replied with a slightly softer tone to his usual powerful, steady voice. He then focused his gaze on the sea before them, "To get away from things." He added, somewhat hastily.

"It does." Eponine gave a nod, brushing hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear, willing it to stay put. With a brief smile in Enjolras' direction, she headed towards the tide, joining the others.

Courfeyrac was the only one brave enough to go bare footed, as despite the sun was starting to provide a little warmth for the first time that year, you could still feel a chill on the wind.

"Wow that's cold." Screamed Courfeyrac as he ran away from the sea, after simply dipping his toe in.

Eponine let out a laugh and smacked him round the head, "What did you expect, you dumbo?"

"I dunno, a hot tub?" This was met with another smack around the head. He then smacked her back, and stuck out his tongue.

"Mature." Retorted Eponine as she bent down and picked up a seashell that caught her eye.

"You started it." He muttered as he also bent down, something entirely different catching his eye.

Before Eponine knew what was happening, she had a face full of wet, salty seaweed.

Wiping at her face with her sleeve, still tasting the salt on her lips, she looked around for the attacker. Spotting Courfeyrac hiding behind Combeferre, and needing no further evidence, she picked up her own carefully selected seaweed, and hid it from Courfeyrac's view. Looking as casual as one is capable of looking after getting attacked by a mouthful of seaweed, she wandered over to Marius and Cosette, the latter of the two was drawing a picture in the sand.

"Having fun?" Cosette looked up at Eponine approaching, a warm smile spreading across her lips, effecting every one of her facial features.

"Oh, yes."

"I saw the incident with the seaweed."

"Yes, in this instance revenge will most certainly be sweet."

Cosette smiled and placed a seashell eye on a sand portrait of Marius.

"The likeness is uncanny." Eponine said, looking between the work of art and the real thing.

Cosette pursed her lips and tilted her head to one side, squinting her eyes. "You think so?"

"Oh, yes." Eponine replied with a smile as she _casually _looked about herself, checking the whereabouts of the attacker. He appeared to be in a rather expressive conversation with Joly, but what was important, was that he had his back towards her. Now was her moment to strike.

She crept towards the unsuspecting Courfeyrac, slipping into ninja mode with ease. Something she used to have to do often, when her father was in one of his many moods.

It was Courfeyrac's turn to not know what was happening as he felt the waistband of his jeans pulled away from him and a cold sensation against his leg. Suddenly it clicked, and he started bouncing up and down with one hand down his trousers, trying to fetch the wet, sticky seaweed from his trouser leg.

"I've never liked the taste of seaweed, Courf." Eponine stated matter-of-factly.

"And I've never viewed seaweed as a comfortable substitute for underwear." He said as he removed the largest piece from one trouser leg, and then went back for more. Once satisfied, he stood up straight, walked over to Eponine with as much dignity as he could muster, and held out his hand. "Even?"

"For now." She replied, with a firm, serious nod of her head.

As the day went on, and the sun made its way into the middle of the sky, a few individuals were starting to complain about their empty stomachs.

"I'd just like to put the possibility of fish and chips out there, as I did see a fish and chip shop just around the corner." Combeferre announced once Courfeyrac's groaning was starting to get on his nerves.

"I second that." An energy that hadn't been there the past few minutes suddenly appeared in Courfeyrac as the thought of his favourite seaside cuisine entered his head.

"I third that." Announced Eponine, now that she thought about it, she really fancied some chips.

As no objection was put forward, it was settled, and the group packed up their things and followed Combeferre's lead to the place he had seen on the way.

"You know what we're missing?" Courfeyrac thought out loud as everyone was sat along the wall dividing the beach from the street, hot chips in hand, the smell of salt and vinegar starting to waft through the air.

"Sleep?" Said Eponine. Courfeyrac shook his head.

"Insect repellent?" Was Joly's contribution, which was met with raised eyebrows and a head shake from Courfeyrac.

"Tomato ketchup?" Suggested Cosette.

"Nope, although, speaking of which…" He looked around, but deciding he would have to go all the way back to the shop, decided it wasn't such a priority.

"Anyway, no," He shook his head at Cosette, dark curls bouncing around. Pausing for effect, the then continued, "Souvenirs! That, is what we are missing."

"Well we can go and satisfy your majesty after lunch. This is a cute little town, we're bound to find something." Cosette said, popping a chip in her mouth.

Courfeyrac gasped as an idea struck him, much like that frisbee that had collided with his head earlier that day. "How about we make it a sort of competition, like, 'who can find the best souvenir for Courfeyrac'?"

"No, no, Courf, we've had those sort of competitions before, and they didn't end well. Remember your special secret santa last year?" Combeferre cautioned him, knowing full well how competetive his friends can get.

Pursing his lips and nodding in agreement, he scrapped that idea. "Fine. Let's go on a nice little shopping trip. Y'know, I have a sudden craving for some strawberry bonbons." He replied, finishing off his delicious platter of cod and chips.

Once Courfeyrac was happily snacking away on his bonbons, they started searching for souvenirs. Popping in and out of the various gift shops, they each made a purchase along the way.

Eponine had been having trouble deciding what to get, until they wandered into the third gift shop on the main street. After rummaging around in a basket in the corner, she came across a short length of string knotted around a number of lethal looking seashells. She picked it up to have a closer look.

From beside her, Combeferre glanced up from a book he'd picked up on the local history of the town they were in. "And what are you going to use that for?"

"Bookmark, I think," Replied she, "I'd most definitely find my space with this bad boy." She finished with a half smile playing on her lips. Her brows furrowed slightly when she noticed there was no price on it. Making her way up to the till, she was just beaten to it by Enjolras, who was making a purchase of his own.

"Original." She said, indicating to the tiny glass bottle, that looked as if it had an even tinier ship inside it.

"My parents collect them." Was his simple reply. He then noticed the strange assortment of string and seashells in her hand. "Your chosen article?"

She held it up right in front of his nose, "A bookmark." She then asked the shopkeeper how much it was.

"Oh, you can have that for 20p, love." She smiled her thanks and started to awkwardly search for the pocket she kept her loose change in.

Just when she thought she had at last succeeded, Enjolras took it from her hand, and placed it on the counter, "This too, please."

"Nope, you bought me that orange juice." She made to snatch her bookmark back, but her hand was blocked by Enjolras' own.

"20p, Eponine." His tone was firm, but not unkind, softer still when he said her name. He looked into Eponine's rich brown eyes with his contrasting sharp blue, almost forcing Eponine to back down and let him win. _Next time,_ she growled to herself, _next time, I won't let him off so easy._

After nearly 2 hours spent walking around the seaside town, with its white brick walls, small houses with colourful front doors, narrow streets and cobbled pathways, nobody complained when Courfeyrac's eyes quite literally lit up as he heard that unmistakable melody promising ice cream. Ice creams all round, and Courf was paying. Naturally, his friends happened to choose the most expensive options.

It was coming onto 6 o'clock in the evening, and the group of friends were now sat along that same wall they were a few hours ago. With the sun starting to descend into the horizon, and the tide making its way in, the beach looked rather different. But it was still beautiful. And happiness was present among the group of friends.

Still, as Courfeyrac had said the previous night, all good things must come to an end, and Cosette had to make a start on dinner, else they would have to survive the rest of the day on fish and chips, and ice cream. And strawberry bonbons, don't forget the bonbons.

However, once they returned to the campsite, they discovered that they may well have to, for Grantaire and Bahorel had practically cleared the cupboards. All that was left of their weekend provisions was a packet of bacon, 6 packets of crisps, a few slices of bread, half a jar of chocolate spread, half a bottle of ketchup, and what remained of the vegetables after Cosette's wonderful pasta dish.

And all they had to say for themselves? They were hungry. Being hungover and grumpy was apparently incredibly hungry work.

Whilst Combeferre was making plans to find the nearest supermarket, Courfeyrac suddenly dashed into the tent, his intentions not clear to anyone but himself.

"Fear not, my friends!" Came his somewhat relieved voice as his head appeared through the tent door. "They didn't find my stash of super noodles!" He then proceeded to hold up a plastic bag full of the aforementioned provisions, and make his way over to the cooking area, although not before explaining to Eponine, who was standing there with one eyebrow raised, that as he was the one who purchased them, he had a right to have them at his disposal.

"And, while I have you all together," He started, turning to face the small gathering of friends starting to go about their business, "I'd just like to point out, who's idea was it to bring super noodles?" Questioning mumbles of "yours" were mentioned. "Therefore, who here is the clev-" He was cut short by a blow to the head from a potato. Bahorel being the prime suspect. "Now now," He announced, grumpily rubbing the spot on his head the invading vegetable had hit, "That is no way to treat head chef Courfeyrac."


End file.
